Photoactive and self-cleaning TiO_2-SiO_2 thin films on 316L stainless steel

摘要

In this study, TiO_2-SiO_2 nanocomposite films with different amounts of SiO_2 were prepared by sol-gel process and were coated onto stainless steel 316L The effect of addition of various amount of SiO_2 in the precursor solution on the photocatalysis, photo-generated hydrophilicity and self-cleaning property of TiO_2 thin films was investigated by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, water contact angle measurements and UV spectroscopy. In the tested ranges of SiO_2 content and sintering temperature, the highest photocatalytic activity and self-cleaning property were observed in the 15 mol% SiO_2 sample sintered at 750℃. Addition of less than 30 mol% SiO_2 had a suppressive effect on the transformation of anatase to ru-tile and on the crystal growth of anatase in the sintering heat treatment. Phase separation occurred in the composite films for SiO_2 content of 30 mol% or more.